U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,376 to Blonder discloses a display screen for personal and laptop computers movable between a substantially vertical position and a substantially horizontal position. When the display screen is in its substantially vertical position, the keyboard is disposed in a substantially horizontal position so that a user may view the display screen when using the keyboard to enter data.
When data is to be entered through a graphics pen, for example, the display screen of the aforesaid Blonder patent is disposed in a substantially horizontal position. When the display screen is in its substantially horizontal position, the keyboard is disposed in a substantially vertical position in which the keys on the keyboard are in their normal orientation relative to the user.
To accomplish this disposition of the display screen in a substantially vertical or substantially horizontal position, the computer arrangement of the aforesaid Blonder patent uses a relatively complex hinge connection between the keyboard and the display screen. It also requires manual rotation of the computer through 180.degree. .
One problem with the computer arrangement of the aforesaid Blonder patent is that the relatively complex hinge connection adds weight to the laptop computer, which is used as a portable computer. Since it is desired to have the weight of the laptop computer a minimum when used as a portable computer, this increased weight by the relatively complex hinge connection is not desirable. Furthermore, the additional weight of the computer makes it more difficult for a user to lift the computer to rotate the computer through 180.degree. to shift the positions of the display screen.
Another problem with the computer arrangement of the aforesaid Blonder patent is that it requires the keyboard to be exposed when data is to be entered through the use of a graphics pen, for example. This exposure is necessary because of the need for certain function control buttons on the keyboard to be employed when entering data through the graphics pen. For example, it is necessary to move the cursor or to move the page up or down.
As a result of the keyboard of the aforesaid Blonder patent being exposed when data is to be entered through the use of a graphics pen, for example, the user cannot comfortably hold the computer in a relatively small space such as in an airplane seat, for example, and easily enter data through a graphics pen. The location of the function control buttons on the keyboard also makes it difficult to control the position of the cursor and other functions.